


The Carillon

by Belfries



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Gold & Silver & Crystal | Pokemon Gold Silver Crystal Versions
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-25
Updated: 2014-11-26
Packaged: 2018-02-26 22:40:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2669036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Belfries/pseuds/Belfries
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>[Originally posted on Fanfiction.net] Based on the Crystal Version: She never believed waltzing into the Burnt Tower would spiral her into a new adventure, with Champions, eccentric researchers, charming gym leaders, Team Rocket and one legendary dog, but such was fate and destiny.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Vesper

**Author's Note:**

> Ever have a story that still stayed in your head for years?
> 
> Its been a long time since I've touched this piece, and now I think it deserves to be finished. Originally placed on fan fiction.net, its now in the process of being re-edited, revised, and reworked. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy the journey with me!

_When the carillon chimes,_

_The winds shall echo,_

_And sing their song unto the divine beasts._

* * *

 

The door of the cafe opened with a jingle, casting a welcoming, auguring presence on the white-caped man. His appearance drove several people to look up from their mugs and newspapers, two or three bestowing nods before returning to what they’d been doing. They’d seen the russet-haired man many times, a regular within the lounge, if not for his near constant bickering with the local gym leader or his never-ending stories about some legendary dog that hadn’t been seen in centuries. One could always argue he simply found the café's coffee suited to his tastes.

He paid no attention to the other residents of the café, eyes set on a particular red-haired male in the back of the room, who sat idly within an orange clad booth contrasting horribly with his locks. Adorning his back was a black cape, fastened around his neck and covering most of his other clothing (likely also black). It was his calm gaze signifying his importance, his appearance, composed and powerful, as they filtered away from the book he was reading. His eyes instantly settled upon the man who had stirred commotions in the past, casting a smug smirk as he lowered his book on the counter, and rested his arms. Quickly, on the whim of a second thought, he raised his hand, extending it in greeting and waving it towards the other in a sort of beckoning motion, smooth voice following.

"Eusine! Come on over. Tell me why I was summoned all the way from Blackthorn to speak with you."

Eusine gave a broad grin, amused by the dragon man. They had met often, frequently gathering in crowded spaces to look less conspicuous. After all, Lance was one of those people who were noticed for various reasons. For one, his hair and handsome features were difficult to miss, and the fact that he was one of the Elite Four, no, the Champion, might have had something to do with his popularity. However, his fan girls were not currently occupying his time and personal space, thus rendering the two men an opportunity to chat.

Eusine meandered over to the booth, sat opposite the dragon master, and laced a smirk across his lips. Lance's brows furrowed in annoyance at the other's silence, one brow arching in contemplation and irritation.

"Well, I was asked to meet you here for a reason, right?"

Eusine's smirk didn’t fade, only continuing to grow as the moments splayed out in longer durations. Lance was about ready to throttle the man before him, and when his features became a little more dangerous, a little more hostile, Eusine found the reason to speak. He leaned forward, proud and domineering, dropping his tones to a serious, potent whisper.

"I found The Carillon."

Having recently taken a sip of his mint-berry flavored coffee, Lance choked on the contents in his mouth, taking a few moments to breathe and swallow the drink before taking the derisive plunge.

 "You asked me to meet you here because you actually think you’ve found someone who matches The Carillon rubbish?"

"Lance, you amuse me. Acting as though The Carillon is utter rubbish. Come on now, I know you have questions."

Lance did have questions. Most were relating to Eusine and pondering over his vacant cranium, which seemed to hold a lot of hot air and fluff these days. His proclamations about the legendary dogs were enough to make anyone think he was insatiably batty. Instead, he decided to voice the other queries his mind managed to conjure.

"Well, how on earth did you come across your Carillon, Eusine? I know for certain you thought it was yourself for a while."

Lance drew back his smirk, and Eusine's face landed into some kind of pout, bottom lip jutting out at the remark. True, he’d believed he fit the criteria for some time now, though clearly this was no longer the case. It wasn't him. It would never be him. This knowledge alone was enough to bruise his ego; it was another shattering manner entirely when brought up by the dragon master for the sixth time.

He had searched for years, tracking each legendary quotation, each fine, delicate detail of evidence, and coming up with nothing. The obsession had grown wildly over time, searching far and wide with little success and rampant frustrations. But to know, to finally know that he wasn't the one meant to be the blessed bell, was enough to sink him into a pit of desperation and whiny blubbering - had he not been the one to discover this matter in the first place. It also helped that Morty had smacked him upside the head a few times, before arranging a meeting with Lance to discuss the origins of truth unfolding. He continued with a deep sigh, running his hands through stranded bangs along his forehead.

"I saw it with my own eyes."

"Saw what? You know, you have to say a bit more than that, since I wasn't there to witness it. Whatever _it_ is."

"She unleashed the dogs."

This statement received Lance's astute attention. His brow raised even further up his head, eyes flickering into shades of disbelief, surprise, and perhaps once more questioning his companion's sanity. He sat rigidly in his chair, cocking his head slightly and eyeing the residents nearby, believing no one to be listening.

" _She?_ Who is _she?_ How could a girl manage to unleash the dogs? What on earth are you blabbering on about?"

The fact that Eusine had managed to raise Lance from his stupor, to implore him about the Carillon firsthand, made the pale man's face liven with mirth all over again. There was also the fact he’d seen his dog. Oh yes, **his** dog.

"Morty and I were searching in the Burnt Tower you see-"

"What the hell? Morty let you do this? Honestly, I thought that man had more common sense-"

"Stop interrupting me. Anyway, Morty and I were in the Burnt Tower, attempting to find a shred of evidence about Suicune and the rest of the dogs-"

"Good grief, your obsession with those mutts will one day-"

"Stop interrupting me!"

Eusine and Lance's constant bickering earned some attention from the cafe dwellers, peeking over shoulders, magazines, newspapers, and coffee mugs to see the cause of the ruckus. Eusine managed to wave with a slight blush on his face, while Lance threw napkins at people who hadn't yet turned around.

"Now then, as I was saying. There was another in the Tower, a red haired boy with a horrid temper. We asked him what he was up to, and he seemed incredibly obnoxious and told us to mind our own business-"

"I don't care about some brat kid. What about the girl?"

"Let me get to it! Didn't Clair ever teach you about manners?"

Lance snorted, but allowed the other to continue, folding his arms across his chest and leaning back against the horrendously decorated booth.

"After exploring the ruins for a time, a slender girl walked in. She had to be around fifteen perhaps, with a heavy backpack resting across her shoulders and a rather curious expression on her face. I would say she was quite cute too…"

"What are you, a pedophile now?"

"No. It was just a comment."

"Right."

"So she entered the confines, and Morty and I talked to her politely, told her why were there and things. She seemed very interested in the subject. Oh what was her name…oh, Meeko? Keypo? Keiko? Something like that. Then she saw the red-haired boy ahead, and got a rather annoyed look on her face, perhaps she knew him. I'd say after my encounter with him I'd wear much the same look. We didn't see her for a time afterwards, though there was some screaming and yelling coming from the next corridor. Then we heard Pokemon battling."

Lance was more than curious now. The girl was a Trainer: a reasonable expectation. Was she a capable one? Was she tough? Proficient? When Eusine didn't receive an interruption from Lance, he assumed it was safe to progress with the details of the story, holding the dragon tamer on edge as he awaited the rest of the tale.

"Well, clearly the girl had beaten the boy to a pulp, and then the ground began to shake. She let out a scream, and then all I heard was the shout of the boy telling her it was her own fault she fell down a hole. A hole! There was another whole level to the Tower!"

Lance leaned forward again, thoughts jarring and revolving around the implications Eusine had just told. There had been a basement to the Tower? Figured. All this time Morty and Eusine had been searching in the wrong area, digging and messing around old ruins, when there was a completely new terrain they could’ve been surveying and uncovering. What lay there? What secrets did it hold? What was below the depths? What did it mean to this Carillon? He remained silent, allowing Eusine to continue in his story, while queries continued to cloud his thoughts.

"Morty and I followed and were witness to an amazing sight! The girl had dropped into the depths and stood wide-eyed at three huge beings. The Legendary Dogs, Lance! All three of them! They were immaculate, beautiful, and oh so deadly. She advanced, and I must say, I was scared for her and yet hoping I could be in the same position. I wanted to reach out and touch those dogs, each and every one of them."

"Then what?"

"They awakened. First, Raikou, the fierce yellow beast. Then Entei, the fire cannon. They both let out terrifying roars, completely captivating anyone's senses. I was so in awe of their raw power, if only they could have been harnessed…they raced by her, and out into the world. And then Suicune...oh, Suicune…"

The face of Eusine would make anyone believe he was in pure heaven, simply from the sight of the cerulean canine. A mysterious smile played across his features, his eyes seemed to roll into the ceiling as he imagined the glimpse over and over again…a dream come true for the researcher; a paradise only _he_ seemed capable of celebrating. Leave it to Eusine to not even be able to touch the ferocious animal, to not even gleam at its presence for more than a few moments, yet still be capable of registering its magnificence.

"He came towards her?"

Lance threw his guess into the air, placed a façade of indifference across his face. Only The Carillon could actually be tested by one of the dogs. The fact it was Suicune explained why Eusine looked so heartbroken and delighted at the same time.

"He roared in her face. She didn't move. She didn't balk. She had no fear. Imagine! He raced around her, coming as close as he possibly could before taking off. He was testing her. She's The Carillon. Only he would let her get that close and not run at a moment's notice. She has to be the one, this Keiko girl."

The red-haired man sighed before leaning across the counter and burying his face in his long arms. His voice came across sullen and filled with some insurmountable dread, as though a great weight had suddenly landed on his shoulders. The truth of Eusine's statement only made it heavier, for the Champion knew despite all of Eusine's quirks, the man knew his legends, his stories, and the trials that came with them. This girl, this child, was hopelessly tossed into a world of danger, and she truly had no idea what was in store for her.

"You know this opens up a can of Caterpie. Team Rocket can't find out. No one can. Not even her. Don't you say a damn word to her, Eusine. She'll know and understand when the time comes, and only then. Beforehand...it will only cause more trouble. Where is the Clear Bell?"

"I know, I know. Morty gave it to the Director, it should be safe in his possession, until she needs it."

"Of all the worst times for her to appear..."

An audible groan of annoyance filtered through Lance's chest, while Eusine still remained his rather whimsical self, staring up at the poorly lit ceiling.

"Perhaps it is a blessing. Do not think so harshly of this wind."

"She will make them all rise, and then the world will be in complete chaos."

"All the more reason to help her. All the more reason to follow her, if only to just touch Suicune..."

"He'll keep following her then?"

"Of course. He has to test her. He can't afford to be captured by some weak human who doesn't know what she's doing."

The dragon master snorted again, but nothing more. It was easily understood that the girl, this odd youth, had no idea what she was up against, what she was doing, or what could happen to her. That much was an eternal given. No one knew, really. But Lance could sense it in his bones: the very foundation of the world splitting and cracking, evil leaking into the vexing position of activity, poised and ready to strike at a moment's notice, and the hero, or heroine in this case, unaware of their fate.

 "We need to keep track of her as well. What Pokemon does she own? What power does she possess?"

 The long-winded banter was finished for a moment as Eusine contemplated, tapping his chin lightly with his index finger, before replying once more.

"She had three…Tauros, Onix, and a Quilava."

Lance's eyebrows shot up his cranium once more, before uttering more groans of dread and frustration, putting one hand on his head as though it had suddenly been induced into a chaotic headache no remedy could soothe.

"Good god, she's a walking disaster. Two Pokemon that can be beaten by a Water type? Suicune must find all of this very amusing."

"Hence the reason she carries the Tauros. Besides, don't think of her as powerless yet. She already has three badges."

At this Lance spit out his coffee again. Damn his ill-timed drinking habits.

"She beat Whitney? No one beats Whitney nowadays. They're all too ignorant and arrogant. That Rollout is deadly." 

"She did."

The formidable redhead stood up from the booth, sliding from its restraints and leaving his mug to rest at its current station, half-empty, forgotten and forlorn. He turned to exit the cafe, though not before bending down and whispering at Eusine's level, the latter still occupying the orange space.

"I'll warn Clair about this, I'm sure she'll send out some trackers. We had better leave. I’m sure we’ve gained attention. I shall send you a message later on where to find me."

Eusine gave a firm nod, before focusing his eyes to a constant shadow behind Lance, and as the master's footsteps and billowing cape echoed away from the room, Eusine's gaze continued to watch the darkness. It didn't move when Lance had, despite taking on a human shape, sneakily, stealthily coiled until both occupants had fled the scene.

They had been heard.


	2. Ringing of Change

_If their heart be true,_

_If their soul be free,_

_They shall step forward,_

_And relinquish the tyrants._

* * *

 

 

"Rocky! Rocky, I said stop here!"

The dainty, blonde girl bellowed from atop a massive, cascading rock creature, better known to many as an Onix – the latter continued onwards at an unrelenting speed despite her protests.

While she stared at the deep, verdant valleys, still captivated by the many sights and sounds she’d seen over and over again, her large, green backpack bulged, swayed, and threatened to spill over the edge of the stony behemoth. If the Pokemon hadn’t been a hint towards her vocation, the backpack was a dead giveaway: a trainer, embarking on heartfelt goals and illustrious glory.

The gray, boulder serpent charged across vast fields, leaving various dusty and rubble patterns in his wake, with no regard about how he left the scenery after he’d graced it with his presence. The girl grimaced at the sight behind her as she turned to survey the beaten grounds, soon twisting her head back around to view the approaching farm ahead. Her eyes widened as it became obvious the Onix was giving no indication of slowing down, even as the looming structure came closer and closer by the second.

"Rocky! Stop!”

This time the beast heard her, and ceased its movements abruptly. The youth teetered forward for a moment, pitching her hands to rest on the giant slabs of woven rock to catch herself. 

With a sigh, the young lady, wearing only a plain blue shirt, skirt, and sneakers, rode the wave of rock all the way down to the ground, skidding to a stop and grabbing the knapsack behind her. 

A pale hand made its way to the lowered Onix's head, and the monster closed its eyes as the girl caressed its knobby cranium with warm pats and lingering touches before deciding to cease, else the massive beast would start purring. She didn't need another earthquake pinned on her.

"Now stay here Rocky. I have to go deliver these berries to that poor Miltank."

The girl smiled, turning towards the destination, and trotted off to the nearby barn, her movements barely making a sound against the warm grass. The Onix was left to eye the herd of Miltank over to the side, where the pasture was littered with the mooing bovine. The gray rock snake paid them no heed, he had seen them several times before, and quietly chose to take a nap in the warming sun, squeezing his eyes shut as the rays of plentiful rays touched his varnished hide.

The old farmhouse before the child wasn't very large, just enough to provide shelter to the small family. Unfortunately, the barn next to it looked debilitated and ready to sink into the ground. Paint had long ago lost its glorious luster, most of it chipped away from weather and the hands of time. Portions of the roof had flown away, the harsh wind dragging away pieces of siding and shingles. Some could’ve been seen along the edge of the wood, as though they had been too frightened to proceed further.

The youth wouldn't be surprised if the occupants of the house and/or barn would inform her to watch her step, should the roof had begun to leak due to the rain from the preceding evening.

She made a note to herself to look for some local carpenters once she returned to Ecruteak that afternoon, perhaps she had saved enough money to fund for some planks of wood. She couldn't find it in her heart to not help this family out; her charitable soul wouldn't allow anything less. So many lived in such situations these days, and when times got hard, it was difficult to proceed.

Living on the outskirts of Olivine and Ecruteak was apparently not suiting this family well. Their current situation was grim, what with their prized Miltank now incapable of delivering milk, which was used for healing local Pokemon. The remedy was more than satisfying for downtrodden monsters as they fought on, courageous and strong. But without the bovine in good health, the family's assets were taking a massive plummet.

She knocked loudly on frame of the door to the house, knuckles rapping along the heavy oak, pressing her ear against it as she listened for the sound of anyone approaching. When hesitant footsteps began to glide across their wooden floor, she stepped back a couple of inches, allowing room for the door to swing and a younger girl to step out of its threshold.

The youth must have just returned from the barn, face grubby and messy from chores, but even the muck and grime glued to her face and black hair couldn't alleviate the charming grin that wrapped around her features. The innocence pervading her face could do nothing but urge the Trainer to embellish her own matching grin, eyes filled with mirth.

"Keiko! We're so glad you're here! Come inside, Mama has to see you before you give berries to Lulu."

Extending a hand, the older girl accepted the dirty palm and followed the child into the house. On the inside one could see that the residents had attempted to make their shelter hospitable, warm and cozy, everything in its proper place. The wooden floors groaned beneath the weight of child and young woman, but its creaking alarmed neither of them. Despite the moaning pretenses, the hardwood floor still allowed them to walk along it without falling into the depths of the lingering basement (to which the Trainer had never been and had no urge to go to).

"Keiko's here!"

The child’s announcement carried over to the plump woman standing in the kitchen, humming a tune heard on the radio, fixing lunch on a well-used counter-top. A smile blossomed across the elder woman's lips as the child led Keiko across the room, and into the woman's waiting arms, extending into a warm and gracious hug.

The Trainer's smile bloomed even further, incapable of denying a motherly embrace was something she sorely missed. Even if this woman was far from her own mother, a key difference being that she was still alive, Keiko could close her eyes and imagine, for just an instant or two, enshrouded in the arms of the woman, that her mother was holding onto her instead. She never let her disappointment show whenever she opened her eyes and was immediately brought back to the present. 

"We're so glad that you can help us while you train, my dear. You're such a sweet thing, how can we possibly return your good graces?"

"Don't worry about it Rosa, its not a problem at all. Marie, why don't you go give Lulu the berries now?"

Keiko reached into her backpack, pulling out a tenderly wrapped satchel of plain berries, recently blossomed and picked from nearby trees, and handed it to little Marie, who skipped off to the barn in haste.

Rosa smiled at the young lady before grabbing a chair and inviting the trainer to sit in it while she continued to prepare lunch; Keiko eyed the morsels in unrestrained excitement, teetering on the edge of the seat to stare at the sandwiches. It had been a length of time since breakfast, and her travels along the road from Ecruteak had left her parched and famished. Besides, she ended up splitting her precious, little piece of toast with her Pokemon, since they too had been hungry in the idle morning sun.

"Now child, how much longer did you say you were going to be around here? I would hate to see you go, and I know Marie and Belle simply adore you."

Keiko smiled graciously, offered to help Rosa once more, who quietly shooed her away from the food. She placed her hands in her lap, shifting them on occasion, as though at a loss for something to do, itching to assist despite Rosa's protests. Her eyes flickered downwards to settle along her pale limbs, seemingly saddened by the state of Rosa's questioning.

"Not much longer I'm afraid. If I defeat Morty, I will need to advance to another gym, which means another town. I hate to leave all of you, but it must be done. I'll certainly visit, if you permit me."

"Of course child, why, we have invited you to stay here more than once. You are welcome any time you'd like."

 As the elder woman finished her gracious invitation, a piercing roar echoed through the countryside, enveloping the home with its riotous decibels and shocking din. Rosa and Keiko gasped, the girl rose from her chair in frustration, and Rosa dropped everything she was doing, the sandwiches across the countertop laying forgotten. The girl recognized the thundering tune of her own Pokemon, balling her fists at her side and uttering a vicious growl.

"That Onix, wait 'till I get my hands on him..."

The mumbling and muttering from Keiko only gave Rosa indication not to worry. The young trainer had trouble with the Onix trying to scare off their small herd of Miltank before. The stubborn cows would simply stare at him in complete boredom.

Keiko ran to a dusty window, rubbed it with a sleeve, and then peered out of its depths, caught in the strangest scene. She gasped again, because this time she actually was surprised. Instead of what she had predicted, a rumbling herd of cattle rushing against her rock creature and hurtling him to who knows where, she found something alarming. Sure, Rocky was out there all right, but he wasn't scaring a harem of Miltank.

Instead, a group of trainers had advanced upon the scene. Each bore a cape and dark clothing, their faces worn and solidified into portions of loathing and malice towards her beloved Pokemon, brows furrowed, features darkened. There had to be about eight or nine of them, standing in neat rows of twos and threes, and several were indistinguishable, shadows either covering their faces, or the chaotic portion of their presences were not worth remembering.

Keiko had never seen these people before, mysterious, odd, cool and composed. They were definitely the type someone would spot in a crowd, their clothing and demeanors setting them apart from anyone Keiko had ever witnessed. These were not the humble, quiet people in streets and corner shops hunting for a bargain - they appeared to be naught more than outlaws on the chase, on the prowl. This worried the girl all the more.

"Rosa, I'll be right back! Don't go outside."

Keiko's warning came to the plump woman as she ran out the door, the trainer holding steadfast to her remaining Pokeballs clutched to her belt, opening the wooden frame that led her outside the house and running towards the gathering.

Legs took her quickly to the crowd, eyes becoming cold, fierce slits, narrowed and hostile. She glared at each of them as she progressed closer and closer, and as they turned their attention upon her the hints of relentlessness folded away from their faces, twisting into flickers of amusement. No one from the strange gaggle issued any greeting, salutations, or their purpose, so she placed her hands along her hips, attempted to look defiant against their smirking countenances.

"Is there a problem here?"

Keiko's questioning tone, settling and brewing into indignation, appeared to only increase their interest. Confused by the weird proceedings, her nose crinkled in disdain, while one brow managed to raise upright. Her left hand began to poise itself next to the chamber of Pokeballs wrapped neatly around her waist, threatened, exposed, and ready to fight.

One figure stepped forward, taller than the rest, his cape sweeping along the ground until he stopped in front of her, looking down his nose at her willowy structure, forming a sneer across his mouth.

His aura demanded respect, of which Keiko was hesitant to give. He reeked of something disturbing and horrifying, an indifferent force intent on absconding the world, robbing it blind. Her perceptions continued to ring shrilly in the back of her mind, warnings coming across in tiny voices: to not annoy the man, to not ask for some potential beating.

 "You are the Trainer, Keiko…correct?"

 "Yes…"

 The girl answered amidst befuddlement, feeling slightly disheveled and tiny in front of the mass of people, sinking away from her previously hostile inclinations, wanting to be swallowed whole and not suffer under their haughty gazes.

Upon closer inspection, she realized they were all men, of various ages, wearing identical capes with strange R lettering on the back, and as her eyes ran along the belts of the men, she noticed each appeared to be carrying at least two Pokemon. Would there be a chance…

"Good. Then, if you follow us, there will be no trouble."

"Follow you? Why on earth would I follow you? What makes you think you can just wander onto someone else's property, have no respect to tell me who you are, and just demand something of me?”

The man sneered down at her as she delivered the condescending retort (already forgotten she was trying to remove herself from a state of defiance), and lowered his head so he was eye-level with Keiko. It was not a pleasant experience.

She noted his eyes were black as coal, no warmth, no amiability, no compassion contained in their terrifying depths. His face was emotionless, passive, and aloof to the uncaring demeanor he possessed. He held power - she could see it in every motion of his stoic countenance. Even his breath was crackling with an icy poison, and an involuntary shudder trickled down her spine, progressed into her body despite the warm air of summer.

At this, the man grinned, and Keiko tore her eyes away from his formidable and uncomfortable gaze.

"You're quite special, Keiko. Team Rocket has a place for you in their establishment. Join us and have more power then you ever dreamed of."

The youth had never truly dreamed of power. As a trainer, she yearned to become stronger, for her beasts to become mighty, but with no intentions of dominating, suppressing, or terrorizing.

Power created corruption, blinded, scorched, corroded, until all they could yearn for were the feral figments of their ambitions, how to keep it, how to snatch it away from others. There was no doubt in her mind such had happened to the one before her.

Perhaps at one time he had been a beginning trainer like her, desperate for the chance to become something, someone, and had seized the first invitation bestowed upon him. Maybe the beckons had been tainted, contaminated, polluted – much like the one he proffered to her.

She hadn't heard of Team Rocket's reputation. Keiko truly had no idea what she was getting herself into by challenging the throngs of people standing before her, but decided not to think of possible consequences, too headstrong, too defiant, jutting out her chin, grinding her teeth.

Each stranger made a fist as it became obvious she was not going to balk any longer, pausing to rest their hands against their Pokeballs in case such actions were needed, a warning to give the girl: come with us or die trying.

One against nine didn't sound fair in Keiko's book, but she urged her voice onwards into the great expanse. She assured herself it wouldn’t quake, wouldn’t show fear, and only inform these men that she wasn’t going to be one of them. She met the leader's eyes again, boring her own into his in the hopes that he would be deterred. Who would want to deal with a hostile girl?

"I don't want power. Leave these people and I alone, please. We have chores to attend to. I don't intend to waste any more of my time hanging around the lot of you."

Putting her hands on her hips again, as if to prove her dissent, the girl managed to turn around and sniff haughtily into the air, proceeding towards her Onix. The rock serpent's face beamed with the temptation of destroying the men and their Pokemon, the ones who had chosen to upset his trainer, her emotions coming off in waves, urging him to do something to corrode the heartless fiends who dared trespass. All he needed was the signal from Keiko, and he would seek to destroy the mass of men.

However, before she knew what happened, her body was colliding with the dirt, an unexplained ache erupting across the back of her skull, filling her senses with an agonizing pain.

Raising her chest and head off of the ground, stunned, apprehensive, she reached for the source of the pain, gasped at the feeling of wetness upon her fingers.

Her blood stained the shaking digits, dripping from a wound, the copper scent springing into the air and justifying a quake from the Onix, portions of the earth cracking and splitting. Pain surged throughout her entire body again at the singular touch, numbing and spellbinding her into some listless daze, staring at the backdrop of the open fields and woods beyond her.

Suddenly, she was naught more than a stunned little girl, feeling cold and alone at the sanction of an open expanse. There were frightening men behind her, and safety nowhere to be found.

Then a voice whispered next to her ear, the same cold, icy one from before.

"Foolish girl. Never turn your back on your enemy."

And then she lost consciousness, not feeling the ground shake, not hearing the powerful command of the man to his followers, not realizing she was being lifted into the air and thrown over the leader's shoulder, not aware her Pokeballs no longer rested at her belt, or the Onix had not been quick enough for the giant nets appearing out of nowhere.

She was gone, lost in a sea of heartless exploits, flying off into the expanse as the Rockets launched into the sky or crossed the ground on various Pokemon, each gawking, cackling with atrocious glee or barbaric merriment. The cold male in the lead even concocted the barest smile across his mug, taking one scalding moment to glance towards the barren, forlorn farmhouse, then embarking in heinous strides with precious cargo: unaware and oblivious to the peril she faced.

No one noticed the plump woman in the window, eyes wide, shrieking in horror, the screams of children echoing in the worn, frail domicile.


End file.
